Tenmile Canyon National Recreation Trail

The road that used to carry cars over Vail Pass now carries cyclists and hikers. The Vail Pass/Tenmile Canyon National Recreation Trail follows what was once old Highway 6 over the pass — pavement where asphalt once served a different purpose. The Forest Service manages it out of Glenwood Springs as part of the White River National Forest, the most visited National Forest in the country. It was certified as a National Recreation Trail in 1980.

The trail runs paved its whole length, climbing the pass and dropping toward Copper Mountain. The descent is steep — high country, real elevation, the kind that rewards people who are acclimated and punishes people who aren't. That climb is why many riders take a shuttle to the top and let gravity do the rest of the work.

Come prepared to share it. On the downhill stretches, cyclists move fast, and they have the grade on their side.